The Central New York Community Arts Council is pleased to announce that it will once again be awarding funds through the Art Creating Community Decentralization Regrant Program in Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties. ACC DEC Grant is a competitive arts grant program that provides financial and technical assistance for community-based arts activities offered by eligible nonprofit organizations and individual artists sponsored by nonprofit organizations in Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties. This program is intended to expand, promote, and increase arts and cultural programming at the local level.  The grants are awarded for specific projects occurring between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.

Applicants must either attend a DEC Application Seminar or meet with SCA DEC staff to discuss the ACC DEC program and your proposed application. Application Seminars are held at locations across Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties. These seminars provide an understanding of the Art Creating Community DEC Grant Guidelines and the mechanics of the application form. Attendance at a seminar is mandatory for ALL applicants. No exceptions will be made! Dates, locations, and times for the seminars:

            1. Oneida - Kallet Civic Center on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 @ 2pm.

            2. Rome - Rome Art & Community Center on Thursday, August 28, 2008 @  2pm.

            3. Boonville - Dodge- Pratt Northam Art & Community Center on   Wednesday, September 3, 2008 @ 2pm.

            4. Old Forge - Arts Center/Old Forge on Friday, September 12, 2008 @ 2pm.

            5. Utica - Stanley Center for the Arts on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 @  3pm.

Reservations are required. Space at some locations is limited

Please call (315) 624- 2912, or email mkoenig@cnyarts.com to reserve a space at a seminar listed below or to schedule a meeting to discuss your project.

Grants Applications must be received by 4 p.m. Thursday, October 9, 2008.  Additional information is available by visiting the Central New York Council of the Arts web site at http://www.cnyarts.com/opportunities/

A violent storm tore through northern Oneida County on July 23 causing extensive damage.  The towns of Annsville, Lee and Vienna all experienced a violent thunderstorm, high winds and hail that caused extensive power outages, took down trees, damaged crops, and destroyed buildings. No official word has been issued as to what exactly hit the area at 5:30 a.m. but the terms microburst and wind burst have been suggested.

 

Among the many sites damaged were the Town of Lee Highway Department garage in Lee Center whose south wall was blown out, the McConnellsville golf course and the McConnellsville fire hall.  Lee Supervisor John Urtz said the whole south wall of the highway garage blew out of the cinderblock structure and the high winds tore off a 30 by 30 foot section of the roof. The town is working on seeking estimates of the damage costs and contacted a structural engineer to review the site.  At least 400 trees were either split  or uprooted in the McConnellsville golf course in Vienna. National Grid reported that over 4,100 customers in Oneida County lost power.

The Local Government Education Committee from Herkimer and Oneida Counties and NOCCOG are sponsoring a budgeting    workshop for local officials on Monday, August 25, 2008 ,7:00 - 9:00 pm., Kunsela Hall  Café, SUNYIT, Marcy.             Representatives from the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) Syracuse Regional Office will be presenting Budgeting 202  for town and village board members, supervisors, mayors, clerks,  treasurers ,budget officers, municipal attorneys and highways superintendents. Discussion points will include:

·        the use of reserve funds and fund balance as a financing source at budget time

·         financing infrastructure and improvements

·         the need to examine user charge rates such as sewer, water, and refuse

·         equity issues relating to who should bear the burden of financing particular projects and services

·         how long-range capital and operational plans play a part in the annual budget process.

 

There is a $15 dollar registration fee and registrations are due by August 15. A registration form can be accessed by going to http://lgec.org/content or by contacting Suzann Kimak at the Office of Continuing Professional Education, SUNYIT, PO Box 3050, Utica, NY 13504, phone 792-7270 .

There is a $15.00 charge for

Kevin Lewis, Executive Director, of the Oneida County Soil & Water Conservation District, notified municipalities in March that due to a reduction in grant funding from state and federal programs, the OCSWCD is examining other options to continue to provide the Community Environmental Management (CEM) program. In recent years, the OCSWCD staff has responded to a growing number of requests for municipal assistance through the CEM program and also offered practical knowledge essential for implementation of local conservation projects. The workload and need for services has increased while the money to fund the CEM program has decreased. Lewis stated in his letter to municipalities that if a reliable source of funding cannot be obtained, the district will not be able to continue to provide the services provided in the past that includes: site visits and consultations regarding natural resource concerns, site plan reviews for proposed development, construction site inspections for stormwater, erosion and sediment control, flood response and mitigation, streambank stabilization and stream maintenance including permit assistance, survey and design of dry hydrants, grant writing for proposed projects, and Hazard Mitigation Plan maintenance.  Local funding for these projects is being proposed by a fee structure outlined in Lewis' letter.

 

NOCCOG, working with OCSWCD, has scheduled informational meetings to give OCSWCD  staff the opportunity to answer questions about the services offered through the CEM program, the proposed fee structure and any questions local officials may have regarding this program. The meetings will be held:

 

            Thursday, May 22 @ 7:00- 8:30 PM at the Lee  Town Hall,  5808 Stokes Lee -Center Road,   Lee Center

 

            Wednesday, May 28 @ 7:00-8:30 PM at the Trenton Municipal Building,  8520 Old Poland Road, Barneveld

 

These meetings will give local officials a great opportunity to ask about the services offered through the CEM program and the proposed changes needed for the CEM program to continue.

 

 

 In New York State, most projects or activities proposed by a state agency or unit of local government, and all discretionary approvals or permits from a NYS agency or unit of local government require an environmental impact assessment as stated in conservation law. The State Environmental Quality review Act requires the sponsoring or approving government body to identify and mitigate the significant environmental impacts or the activity it is proposing or permitting.  This includes town and village comprehensive plans as well as any amendments to these plans.

 

Local officials often find the steps in the SEQRA process challenging and have requested training to help them with this process.   Northern Oneida County Council of Governments is sponsoring SEQRA training for local officials on Thursday, March 13, 7:00pm -9:00pm at the Trenton Municipal Center, 8520 Old Poland Road, Barneveld.   Topics to be covered include:

 

• SEQR Act short form and long form.
• When should a municipality act as the lead agent in the SEQR process
• What are the responsibilities and steps to follow as the lead agent
• What other agencies need to  be contacted as part of the process
• The role of SEQR in site plan review, special use permits, variances, ZBA actions, subdivision review, conditional use permits, comprehensive plans and local laws.

 

The presenter will be Betty Ann Hughes, Chief/SEQR & Training from the NYS Department of State. This course is eligible for 2 hours of the required annual training for Planning Board and ZBA members

 

 Please register for this training by calling Gerry Ritter, circuit rider, Northern Oneida County Council of Governments at 315-392-2260 by March 7, 2008